Chinese threat to attack Taiwan alarms Asia

China’s threat to oppose Taiwanese independence with military force today has triggered an immediate call for peaceful dialogue from Japan and discussion of Australia’s treaty obligations should a war break out.

“I want the two sides to work hard toward a peaceful solution, so there will not be any negative impact,” said Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, whose government recently declared a diplomatic resolution of the Taiwan dispute as a strategic objective with the US.

China’s parliament passed a law today authorising an attack to stop Taiwan from pursuing formal independence, a day after President Hu Jintao told the Chinese military to be prepared for war.

The ceremonial National People’s Congress approved the legislation over US calls for restraint and warnings by Taiwan that it would damage regional stability and fragile ties between Beijing and Taipei.

An outbreak of hostilities would be a severe blow to stability in East Asia, possibly prompting a response from the US – which has some 50,000 troops in Japan and 35,000 in South Korea – to defend Taiwan.

Such a conflict could pin top US allies in the area such as Japan and Australia between treaty obligations to Washington and reluctance to alienate China, which is assuming a growing political and economic role in the region.

In Australia, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said his government would consult with the US, as required by the 54-year-old ANZUS treaty, f a Chinese attack on Taiwan triggered an American military response.

But whether Australia would join the fight was a separate question, he said.

“We would be bound to consult with the Americans and the ANZUS treaty could be invoked,” Downer told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio. “But that’s a very different thing from saying we would make a decision to go to war.”

China is Australia’s fastest-growing trading partner and fourth-largest export market. Trade between the two nations totalled 23 billion Australian dollars (€13.5bn) in 2002.